Sound warning device



April 13, 1948. B. l.. J. F. LE Roux SOUND WARNING DEVICE Filed Aug. 8, 1945 3 Sheets'-Sheet 1 U70/7d e @aux April I13, 1948. e. L, J. F. LE Roux 2,439,477

SOUND WARNING DEVICE Filed Aug. 8, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 13, 1948.

B. L. J. F. LE ROUX SOUND WARNING DEVICE Filed Aug. 8, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. 4

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Patented Apr. 13, 1948 'S OUND WARNING DEVICE Bernard Louis vJoseph Fernand Le Roux, Paris, France Application August'S, 1945, InV France July Section' 1,. Public Law Pat ent4 expires claims. (Crm1-23) The object of the present invention is a Sound warning device intended to lgive warning? that a certain'time period has elapsed since a time of origin, said warning device being designed i-n such a manner that it is capable of successively giving warning that several periods of time have elapsed. This device, which is adaptable to many purposes, is however more particularly intended to serve as a time indicator for the cooking of food'and thusy constitutes a` valuable help to housewives, restaurant cooks, etc.

This device is essentially constituted byv a bellringing mechanism similar tcthat of an alarm clock, and is actuated by a clockwork mechanism adapted to operate for 'a limited period, for-instance two hours, Thisbell-ringing mechanism locked when it is not required to operate but is mounted en a movable mounting adapted to move along the axis of rotation'of a needle or hand driven by the clockwork mechanism. This which in its sliding movement is integral with the movable mounting comes into contact with movable push studs secured to the dial, at predetermined places, in such a manner that when the hand meets one'ofY these push studs, it is urged outwardly, thereby actuating the movable mounting and the bell-ringing mechanism is unlocked. The bell is sounded, but the'hand continues its travel, becomes releasedfrom the push stud and, under the action of a retracting swing, is brought back to its-initial position in 'ch the belle-inging mechanism is again locked until the hand passes over the following push stud, in the event of the device being equipped to give warning oi several operative periods.

The de ice in accordance with theinvention furthermore comprises several detail features which will. be apparent from vthe description hereinafter given with reference to the accomg drawings which illustrate, by way of eX- ample. a form of embodiment of such a device as applied to giving warning of the time during which food is to be cooked. In'said drawings:

l. isa-front viewof the warning device.

Fig. 2 is a section through the line a-b of Fig. l.

di. 3ds a front view ofthe control mechanism i 1 the bell-ringingv-mechanism.

el afrcnt view of they locking mechanism or the bell-ringing mechanism. 5

5 is a view of the apparatus dial, the hand being removed.

The apparatus is constituted by a casing I, formed on the one hand, by an end plate 2 to which is secured a conventional clockwork mech- SerialNmy 609,627 1, 1944 690, Augu`st`8,` 1946 July 1,1964

anism 3 so wound up as to'be able to operate for two hours and, on the other hand, by a front dial 4, graduated for example in minutes, from Oto 12). This dial comprises a circular groove 5 having the'- same centre'as the dial, the central portion of the dial being connected to theouter annular portion, which is outside the said groove 5 and carries the divisions in minutes, by a connecting ring 6. vrIn said groove, there may be moved byhand' push studs l comprisinga con- Vex headfprojecting forwardly of the dial and a screw-threaded rod on which is securecLvbehind the dial, -a nut 3, so tightened that the push stud may remain on the dial in any position and that only a'slight effort is required to move it.

The end of the casing 2 carries, through the medium of stays 9, one of the assembling plates Iii for theA bell ringing mechanism which is connected by stays l l to the second plate l2. To the latter is secured the bell proper I3 on which may strike a hammer I4 pivoting Aabout a pivot l5. The end of the hammer pivot (Fig. 3) carries a control pin i6 on which act the teeth of a pinion Il, the hammer being, on the other hand subiected to theaction of a retracting spring I8. The pinion l1 is centered'on the spindle I9 of the 'clockwork mechanism 3.

This spindle, which passes through the dial 4 by means ofv a guidingmember 20, carries a pin 2i serving to rotate a sleeve 22 surrounding the spindle! 9 land which is adapted to slide thereon by 'means of agroove 23 which is engaged by said pin 2l. This sleeve actuates, in its sliding movement, a shifting pinion' 24 which otherwise freely rotates thereon and which is integral, on the one hand, with a bell pinion! 1 and, on the other hand with a 'square-'notched pinion 25 for stoppingthe bell, stoppage being effected by the engagement of a rpin 25, carried by the plate l0, in one of the notches (Figs. 2 and 4). These three pinions are comprised between two stop rings 27-2'1.

On the spindle'lS of the clockwork mechanism is keyed a pinion 28 which meshes with the pinion 29 for winding up'the bell spring. This pinion is freely mounted on the spindle 30 of the bell spring 3| and is clamped between two friction plates v'32, the friction effect of which may be adjusted' by means of the screw`33,integra1 with the spindle't. The end of the spring 3| is secured to the stop pin 34 (Figs. 2, 3 and 4). On the spindle 30 is keyed the ratchet wheel 35 the retaining pawl of which is shown at 36. This wheel is integral with the pinion 31, meshing with the shifting pinion 24.

The unwinding of the bell spring 3| is adjusted by a braking mechanism constituted by a button 38 on the spindle 39 ending in an enlarged portion 40 acting on the cheek of the pinion 31 and subjected to the action of a spring 4I.

On the end of the tubular spindle 22 projecting in front of the dial is keyed a Winding knob 42, which is integral with the hand 4S. A spring 44 bearing, on the one hand, on the guiding member 20 and on the other hand on a stop ring 45 secured to the sleeve 22, constantly urges the latter, together with the movable mounting integral therewith, towards the inside of the apparatus.

The dial has the appearance shown in Fig. 5. It carries on concentric circles indications concerning the time required for cooking various foods (meat, fowls and game, sh, vegetables, pastry, etc.) in function of the amounts of these foods to be prepared. It desired, this dial may also contain indications concerning the temperature to be reached in order to ensure satisfactory cooking of each of these foods.

The apparatus may be hung on a partition, a wall for example, by means of lugs 4B integral with the casing and provided with holes 4l for the passage of screws or nails.

The operation of this device is as follows:

The apparatus is wound up by acting on the` knob 42 which is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction, The purpose of this operation is firstly to wind up the clockwork motor 3 and, on the other hand, through the medium of the pinions 2S and 29, the friction cheeks 32, the spindle 36, the ratchet wheel 35-36, to Wind up the bell spring 3|. When the winding up operation is completed, the hand 43 is situated in front of zero on the minutes scale.

The push studs 'l are brought opposite the graduations corresponding to the articles of food to be cooked and the apparatus is ready to operate. Under the action of the spring 44, the unit comprising the hand 43, sleeve 22, shifting pinion 24, is urged towards the right of Fig 2 and the pin 25 enters one of the notches of the pinion 25. The bell mechanism is therefore locked and cannot operate. However, when the hand 43, actuated by the clockwork mechanism, passes in front of a push stud 1, it is pushed away from the dial and it draws along with it the movable mounting by an amount such that the locking pinion 25 is released from the pin 2E. The shifting pinion 24, being actuated by the pinion 3l, may then rotate, and in its turn drive the pinion Il which, by acting on the pin l5 of the hammer i4, causes the bell to ring.

As soon as the hand 43, during its travel, has gone beyond the push stud l, the spring 44 which has been compressed, pushes back the movable parts towards the right of Figure 2 and the bellringing mechanism is once more locked.

I claim:

1. 'Iime warning device comprising, in combination, an actuating clockwork mechanism, a bell-ringing mechanism normally in a locked position, a hand rotatable in front of a graduated ldial, push studs movably mounted in a circular groove on said dial and provided with a head projecting in front of said dial sumciently to push the said hand outwardly as it rotates over one of said push studs thereby drawing away with it part 4 of the bell-ringing mechanism and thus unlock ing it, spring means for returning the said part of the bell-ringing mechanism into its locked position, a knob integral with the said hand for winding up the whole mechanism whereby the said hand is brought in front of the zero of the graduated scale at the end of the winding operation.

2. Time warning device comprising, in combination, an actuating clockwork mechanism, a bell-ringing mechanism normally in a locked position, a hand rotatable in front of a graduated dial, push studs movably mounted in a circular groove on said dial and provided with a head projecting in front of said dial sufficiently to push the said hand outwardly as it rotates over one of said push studs thereby drawing away with it part of the bell-ringing mechanism and thus unlocking it, spring means for returning the said part of the bell-ringing mechanism into its locked position, a knob integral with the said hand for winding up the clockwork mechanism and an adjustable friction device transmitting the winding movement of the clockwork mechanism to the bell-ringing mechanism whereby the latter is wound up concomitantly with the clockwork mechanism.

3. Time warning device comprising in combination, a clockwork mechanism, a bell-ringing mechanism normally in a locked position, a hand mounted at the end of a hollow tube actuated by the central spindle of the clockwork mechanism and adapted to slide therealong, said hand being rotatable in front of a graduated dial, push studs slidably mounted in a circular groove on said dial and p-rovided with a head projecting in front of said dial sufciently to push said hand outwardly as it passes over one of said push studs, a shifting pinion carried by the said tube and adapted to unlock the bell-ringing mechanism when said tube slides on said central spindle as a result of the said hand being pushed by one of said push studs, spring means for returning the said tube and the said shifting pinion into their initial position in which the bellringing mechanism is locked, and means for winding up the whole mechanism.

4. Time warning device according to claim 3 in which the said shifting pinion is integral with a square notched pinion with which engages a pin carried by a fixed portion of the mechanism when the bell ringing mechanism is in the locked position.

5. Time warning device according to claim 3 in which a braking device is provided for regulating the speed of unwinding of the spring of the bell-ringing mechanism.

BERNARD LOUIS JOSEPH FERNAND LE ROUX.

REFERENCES CITED l The following references are "of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,108,636 Starr Aug. 25, 1914 1,663,710 Kopatschek Mar. 27, 1928 2,309,844 Henriksen Feb. 2, 1943 

